In a video, the influencer shows off a company’s clothing collection while tears run down her cheeks. She does her job even though she is feeling bad. She is strong and weak at the same time.
She is one of four successful Swedish female influencers included in the studies. They were chosen because they often talk about mental ill-health in their videos. The researchers analysed 234 posts and looked at how mental ill-health is described and what health advice is given. The channels have between 150,000 and 1 million followers.
“The general narrative is that you can solve your health problems if you grin and bear it, but also allow yourself rest and relaxation in a good mix - and buy the products and clothes you need to exercise or treat yourself to something,” summarises Anette Wickström, senior associate professor at the Department of Thematic Studies - Child Studies at Linköping University.
Humble but productive
In the posts, the researchers find traces of neoliberalism and so-called positive psychology that emphasise the individual’s power and responsibility to influence their own well-being. There is a female ideal of being productive despite everything, while at the same time being humble. Great emphasis is placed on beauty and beauty products. Consumption becomes a path to well-being.
Some of the advice is similar to that given by Sweden’s municipalities and county councils and the youth clinic websites. In this way, the influencers are shaped by the surrounding society while also being involved in shaping it, according to the researchers.
Balancing roles
The influencers struggle with conflicting roles. They have gained a lot of followers because by sharing personal stories they are perceived as genuine and honest. But success has also given them advertising revenue and they all also collaborate with organisations or foundations that work to combat mental ill-health. They balance the role of trusted friend with the roles of entertainer, advertiser and expert.
“In one case, we almost saw a cycle through the year of, ‘Well, excuse me, now I’ve shown pictures from four holiday resorts over the summer with fantastic restaurants and lots of pictures of food, so now we must have a serious talk.’ And then follows a confession that they don’t feel so good and ‘now I want to be a support for you’,” says Anette Wickström.
The importance of relationships
But underneath the strong emphasis on the individual’s responsibility for their own mental health, there is also something else hiding, the studies show.
“When we watch all these videos for a whole year, everyone has an underlying story that it’s actually their relationships that saved them. Everyone has a close relative who is their total support during certain periods. There’s a story about how to take care of mental ill-health that is never really raised,” says Anette Wickström.
The general narrative is that you can solve your health problems if you grin and bear it.
In order to find out who the leading influencers are, Anette Wickstrom and her colleague, associate professor Judith Lind, interviewed 44 teenage girls. These interviews formed the basis for the selection of influencers in the first stage of the research project. The girls were then interviewed about how they as followers perceive the health advice and the descriptions of mental ill-health given. The analysis of these interviews will be the next step in the research project.
The research project, which includes both studies, is funded by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare.
Translation: Simon Phillips
Articles: Relatability, consumerism and legitimated advice: mental health talk by female social media influencers, A Wickström, J Lind, published 6 June 2024, Learning, Media & Technology, doi: 10.1080/17439884.2024.2363238
Representations of mental health and mental health problems in content published by female social media influencers, J Lindh, A Wickström, published 1 November 2023, International Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 27, nr 2, s. 217-233, doi: 10.1177/13678779231210583
